A Question About the Election of the Apostle Mathias

A reader writes:
In Acts 1, the selection of Mathias as the replacement Apostle is discussed. It talks about casting lots, and it falling on him. Do we know more about what that means and is there evidence of The Church using a similar process to make decisions through the centuries?

This is, as far as I know, the only moment in the Church’s history where the Magisterium makes a serious judgment call by this means. It’s a method that harks back to the Urim and Thummim used by the priest of the Old Covenant. By Acts 15, the Church has already settled into the habit of calling a council or synod in union with the Pope (Peter) and/or the local bishop (James) to iron out questions of navigating the signs of the times.

It wasn’t like they threw open the job to just whomever. They had two very strong, carefully vetted candidates and by the casting of lots were basically declaring they had no way of choosing which was better. Also, since all of the Apostles were chosen by Christ and not the other Apostles, perhaps this was a way of throwing the decision about whom to pick back to the Lord in such a way as to be able to declaim any direct responsibility in the final choice of Matthias and therefore making his election equal to the other Apostles, not subordinate to their judgment.

captcrisis

It’s a very offhand and careless way to pick between two people. No matter how well qualified the two were, I can’t imagine a papal conclave making a decision in the same way. This story makes hash of any pretense that the selection of popes, or even selecting just men as priests, has any Biblical basis.

Jared Clark

The first example of Apostolic Succession doesn’t count because they used a method familiar to the Jews?

wlinden

Umm, what are you saying? That it is a bad method AND TheVatican is somehow illegitimate for NOT using it?

captcrisis

No, the Vatican method is much improved. In other words, the Vatican wisely disregards the example set by the Apostles — without noting the irony.